Our Beliefs

IN ESSENTIAL BELIEFS, WE HAVE UNITY. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

IN NON-ESSENTIAL BELIEFS, WE HAVE LIBERTY. (Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22)

IN ALL OUR BELIEFS, WE SHOW CHARITY. (1 Corinthians 13:2)

God the Father

We affirm that the Father is the first person of the Trinity and the source of all that God is and does. He is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and the Redeemer of mankind. From Him the Son is eternally generated and from Them the Spirit eternally proceeds. He is the designer of creation, the speaker of revelation, the author of redemption, and the sovereign of history.

(Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

God the Son

We affirm that the Lord Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity. Eternally begotten from the Father, He is God. Jesus was born of a virgin, through a miracle of the Holy Spirit, lived a sinless human life, and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to the right hand of the Father and will physically and visibly return again in power and glory to establish His Kingdom on earth.

(Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:22-23, 3:16-17; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30, 20:28; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Philippians 2:5-6; 2 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Timothy 2:5, 3:16, 6:14-15; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 4:14-15; Revelation 1:7)

God the Holy Spirit

We affirm that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, proceeding from the Father and Son and equal in deity. He is the giver of all life, active in the creating and ordering of the universe: He is the agent of inspiration and the new birth; He restrains sin and Satan; and He indwells and sanctifies all believers. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily. Baptism in the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth.

(Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17-18; John 14:16-17, 16:7-15; Acts 1:5-8, 2:1- 4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 19:1-6; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13, 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 1:13-14, 5:18)

The Trinity

We affirm our belief in one God, infinite Spirit, creator, and sustainer of all things, who exists eternally in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Co-eternal in being and in nature; co-equal in power and glory. These three are one in essence but distinct in person and function.

(Deuteronomy 6:4; II Corinthians 13:14).

Creation

We affirm that all things were created by God. The universe was created in six historical days and is continuously sustained by God; thus it both reflects His glory and reveals His truth. Human beings were directly created, not evolved, in the very image of God. As reasoning moral agents, they are responsible under God for understanding and governing themselves and the world. Humanity is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. In the beginning human beings were innocent of sin and endowed by God with freedom of choice. By this free choice they sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan humanity transgressed the command of God and fell from their original innocence whereby their inherit nature and environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as human beings are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring human beings into His holy fellowship and enable them to fulfill the creative purpose of God. All human beings are uniquely created, loved by God, and worthy of dignity, Christian love, and respect.

(Genesis 1:27-30, 2:5, 7, 8-25, 3:1-24, 9:6; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6, 59:1-2; Jeremiah 17:5; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3)

The Bible

The Holy Bible is the authoritative Word of God to us. We affirm that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, though written by men, was supernaturally inspired by God so that all its words are the written true revelation of God. It is therefore inspired, infallible and inerrant in the originals and authoritative in all matters. It is to be understood by all through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, its meaning determined by the historical, grammatical, and literary use of the author’s language, comparing Scripture with Scripture. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths.

(Psalm 12:6, 119:104-105, 89, 160; Proverbs 30:5-6; Isaiah 40:8; Luke 1:37; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Hebrews 4:12)

Saved by Grace Through Faith

We affirm that each person through the work of Jesus Christ, by repentance of sin and by faith alone in Him as Savior, we receive salvation, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts. The believer is declared righteous, born again by the Holy Spirit, turned from sin, and assured of heaven. We affirm that the Holy Spirit indwells all who are born again, conforming them to the likeness of Jesus Christ. This is a process completed only in Heaven. Every believer is responsible to live in obedience to the Word of God in separation from sin.

(Psalms 32:1-5; Isaiah 53:6-12; John 3:16-17, 14:6; Acts 2:21; Romans 5:1-2, 6:23, 10:10- 13; Galatians 3:26-28; Ephesians 1:7-12, 2:4-10; Titus 3:4-7; 1 John 1:7-9)

Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

We affirm all who are redeemed, once saved, are kept by Godʼs power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We believe it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to sin.

(John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 8:38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:5, Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts

We believe God is sovereign in bestowing spiritual gifts. It is, however, the believerʼs responsibility to strive to develop their sovereignly given spiritual gift(s). The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion and joins the believer to the body of Christ. We believe particular spiritual gifts are not essential, nor do they prove the presence of the Holy Spirit. We believe it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to minister according to the gift(s) and grace of God given to him.

(Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Peter 4:10-11)

The Church

We affirm that a church is a local assembly of baptized believers, under the discipline of the Word of God and the lordship of Christ, organized to carry out the commission to evangelize, to teach, and to administer the ordinances of believer’s baptism and the Lord’s table. Its offices are pastors and deacons. We believe in the autonomy of the local churches, free of any external authority and control thus being self-governed. It functions through the ministry of gifts given by the Holy Spirit to each believer.

(Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2, Acts 14:27, 18:22, 20:17; 1 Timothy 3:1-3; Titus 1:5-11, Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1, 1:4; 1 Corinthians 3:9, 3:16, 5:4-7, 5:13; 1 Peter 5:1-4, Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42, 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Second Coming of Christ

We affirm that the return of Christ for all believers is imminent. It will be followed by seven years of great tribulation and then the coming of Christ to establish His earthly kingdom for a thousand years. The unsaved will then be raised and judged according to their works and separated forever from God in hell. The saved, having been raised, will live forever in heaven in fellowship with God.

(Matthew 24:44, John 14:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 2 Peter 3:10, 1 John 2:28, Revelation 1:7)